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sofiaxaguilar's review
4.0
"The Guys" by Anne Smith is not a typical book. Instead, it's a play about the firefighters who lost their lives responding to the tragedy of September 11 in New York City in 2001. Though it is only about eighty pages in length, it carries with it an astounding power that speaks to the human soul and encourages them to view the horrific events of that day in a strikingly new way.
Though it was required reading for my theatre class, "The Guys" was one of the few books I've enjoyed while being obligated to read. I have no personal connection to firefighters or the events of 9/11, since I was too young to remember it when it happened, yet this play spoke to me in more ways than one.
I know statistics are supposed to be helpful, but half the time they're too astounding to even comprehend, and are meaningless as a result. This play took the terrifying yet incomprehensible statistics of 9/11 and gave them personalities, stories, quirks, humanity. The reader/viewer learns about these invisible people whom they've never met, and yet feels a type of empathy for them because of the way they were written. Smith makes them real, tangible, close enough to touch and strike a familiar chord in the audience. As a result of this play, I feel a new respect for firefighters who put their lives on the line everyday for strangers, yet view it as the best job in the world. Who wouldn't want to save people and make a difference in a million different ways? People who take their lives for granted most likely can't imagine making such a lasting mark on the world.
The only setback of this play was the ending, because it didn't seem as powerful as it should've been. I supposed I was expecting a lightning bolt from the sky or some life-shattering and profound discovery, but it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. But that's the disadvantage of reading a play instead of seeing it live, isn't it? Something is lost within the exchange of ideas and emotions, and I know I would've enjoyed "The Guys" more had I been watching it unfold in front of my eyes. But overall, it was a strong and powerful play, in the most simple and beautiful aching ways.
Though it was required reading for my theatre class, "The Guys" was one of the few books I've enjoyed while being obligated to read. I have no personal connection to firefighters or the events of 9/11, since I was too young to remember it when it happened, yet this play spoke to me in more ways than one.
I know statistics are supposed to be helpful, but half the time they're too astounding to even comprehend, and are meaningless as a result. This play took the terrifying yet incomprehensible statistics of 9/11 and gave them personalities, stories, quirks, humanity. The reader/viewer learns about these invisible people whom they've never met, and yet feels a type of empathy for them because of the way they were written. Smith makes them real, tangible, close enough to touch and strike a familiar chord in the audience. As a result of this play, I feel a new respect for firefighters who put their lives on the line everyday for strangers, yet view it as the best job in the world. Who wouldn't want to save people and make a difference in a million different ways? People who take their lives for granted most likely can't imagine making such a lasting mark on the world.
The only setback of this play was the ending, because it didn't seem as powerful as it should've been. I supposed I was expecting a lightning bolt from the sky or some life-shattering and profound discovery, but it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. But that's the disadvantage of reading a play instead of seeing it live, isn't it? Something is lost within the exchange of ideas and emotions, and I know I would've enjoyed "The Guys" more had I been watching it unfold in front of my eyes. But overall, it was a strong and powerful play, in the most simple and beautiful aching ways.
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